Skip to main content

Overview


Melody completed her PhD in Cellular and Behavioral Neurobiology at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, OK, where she also earned B.A.s in Mathematics and Psychology. After graduation, she worked as a postdoc at Duke under Drs. Miles Berger and Joseph Mathew in the Department of Anesthesiology’s Neurologic Outcomes Research Group (NORG) researching brain biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease, postoperative delirium, and postoperative cognitive dysfunction. She now works in the Aging Center under the mentorship of Drs. Miles Berger, Marty Woldorff, and Brandon Westover, who bring specialized knowledge of neuro-anesthesiology, EEG methodology, and machine learning to the team. For her RTP project, Melody will record EEG and play auditory tones as older surgical patients regain consciousness after major surgery to investigate whether abnormalities in the neurophysiological timing, pattern, or strength of the return of sensory processing after anesthesia is associated with later development of postoperative delirium. This data will be analyzed using both standard (general linear and logistic modeling) and novel (machine learning-based) quantitative approaches.

Current Appointments & Affiliations